From the Dust
by Ollen70
Summary: The sages were not the only ones who watched what happened when Ganon began his reign, though the concerns of the goddess who descends to the earth might not be what was expected... Her views on some of the events from Ocarina of Time.
1. The Moments We Forget

Ollen70: This is my feeble attempt at branching out. I've never written a Legend of Zelda story, and I wasn't planning on it until it donned on me that this particular pairing almost never happens, so I thought hey, if I'm gonna write one, I should at least be original.' Hope you like it.  
  
Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me. Meh.  
  
From the Dust  
  
Chapter One - - The Moments We Forget  
  
She knew as she plummeted to the earth that she had no business approaching him. Her kind was not meant to mingle with the mortals of the Earth, but she couldn't turn away, especially not now, when she was so close she could practically taste his freshly spilled blood on the wind. His heart pounded and the sound was deafening to her, the one who understood the pain of the world.   
  
Who cared what the others might think? He was in pain - the kind of pain no mortal should have to linger in alone - and it was her duty to address that. Closer she came, the sky bearing her lower and following in her wake with dark clouds that would bring rain to the tormented soil. How could she deny him this, after he'd suffered so much for men and women he would never meet?   
  
In a way, it was her fault that he must suffer. All three of them knew the price of creation and the horror the world might face if their golden trinket might fall into the wrong hands. Of course, matters of mere morality were not of her concern. Those were trivial words made by men, not by her kind. She business was with those who felt without hope, whomever they may be.   
  
  
  
The trees shivered at her passing. Not out of fear, though. Like all things, the trees showed her utmost reverence, her whose thoughts shaped them. Before her, the destination became more clear and she went with greater haste. A stream flowed into a gentle pool that lay quietly under the motherly boughs of the forest, its surface just beginning to ripple with the first drops of the rain her coming brought. Unlike the others, she was not violent in her arrivals. No fire sprang out to meet her. The winds might embrace her, but they did not scream from all corners of the world to be near her. Perhaps it was for these reasons that the others never came to the surface of their world like she did. Their appearances were never as gentle as hers.  
  
In the still of the moment, Nayru folded herself together and descended as silently as a dream that breaks away into nothingness on the waves of the dawn. He did not need to know she drew near, yet. After all, the young hero did not really belong to her, except maybe in the very general sense. All things, in part at least, belonged to her, but this youth bore the burden of Farore. To her the golden princess was a more close match, just as Din held dear the black king who was now ravaging their precious world. None of them would relinquish their children to the others, nor allow the others to harm them. It was for that reason neither she nor Farore insisted on ending the black king's reign over Din's protests, even if he eventually ruined everything they had created.  
  
No matter. If the world fell away into dust again, they would build another. Just the same, Nayru hoped that it would not yet come to pass. This world was still fresh and green, and she loved it regardless of the horrible things it had suffered through thus far. Now, she spread herself into all of the life around this perfect pool and watched once more. She wanted to see every part of him, to make sure this voyage had not been made in vain. There were some who would not benefit from her touch, like Din's charge, but she doubted if this youth was one of them. She was not so thoughtless as to descend without first observing her intended individual from a distance and she found him to be of the sort that might have the most to gain from her, but distances could sometimes be sadly deceiving.  
  
  
  
The boy sat with his back against a tree, if sat' was the correct word. His exhaustion was almost tangible. Wearing only tattered trousers and his long cap, the deep cuts were all too visible on the plane of his chest. The blood she sensed before spilled down him into the water of the pool. It was beautiful to her to see it spread and fade into nothingness as she felt all pain should. Why that was so endearing to her, she couldn't say. She had always valued simplicity more than Din or Farore ever could, because in many ways they were more simple than she. It took complexity to loathe complexity, she decided. The wounds on this hero were again of a simple nature, and in their own way, they too were beautiful. Of course, one could only take so much beauty in any form.   
  
So many wounds on one who was in many ways still a child. Feeling herself begin to approach anger, she soothed herself. She was not meant to feel emotions like that. The earth was not meant to feel anger in and of itself. If she couldn't control herself while she borrowed its form, her anger might be passed along. Since it had never happened before, Nayru didn't know what to expect from such an occurrence, but it was safe to assume the others would not be pleased.   
  
Deciding she had seen enough to make her decision correctly, Nayru changed. She left the safe haven of the earth and stretched herself out into the waiting air like a fragrance does when it is caught on a soft breeze. Now she could dissipate freely all around the young hero.  
  
She didn't move to be inside of him. Farore wouldn't permit that, and she wouldn't push this endeavor that far. She knew how great her own wrath would be if either of the others attempted to do the same to her princess. Still, part of her wished she could be bonded to this young soul as well. He was very different from the girl, obviously, but there was a certain quality to him that she had never seen before in such quantity. Certainly this must be why Farore was so proud of him. Someday she might be more of a part of him, if he were to win the power of Din from the dark one and receive the strength Nayru's charge would certainly afford him. Then all three of them could abound in one being as they were meant to, instead of being separated. The whole purpose of the golden power was to enforce unity through individuality - the perfection of the trinity.  
  
The dark one was not expected to understand that and, true to form, he didn't. He still believed that by clinging to power blindly he might be able to break the other two and garner their strength. Too late he might realize that no one part could even hope to triumph when two parts of equal importance and strength so vehemently resisted him. Again, as interesting as that situation would no doubt prove to be, it wasn't of use to her. Whatever happened would happen, and none of them would interfere.  
  
  
Twining suddenly, she spun about him closely. The wind and the blossoms on the black boughs followed with her, along with the pressing of the rain. Together, they would ease the pain of the young Hylian hero. They would give him peace for this moment before they left again for the heavens, since peace is so foreign to the world of men that it cannot reside there for long.   
  
In time, Nayru would bring him more than peace if she could. Depending on the pathways of the future, she would or would not do much for this young man, with or without the agreement of the other two. But then, she still had time to decide, for the future was still being written with every beat of the young man's heart. Time alone, as mortals were fond of saying, would tell. Folding herself again, Nayru ascended.  
  
  
Ollen70: Yeah, it's overly philosophical and sappy, and I completely overdo the metaphors. Since this is pretty short and pointless, I might redo the whole thing at some point. Just let me know what you think, okay?  



	2. Eyes and Arms

Disclaimer: None of the characters or places mentioned are mine. It's a shame, I know, but life is like that.  
  
Ollen70: More or less inspired by Mazzy Starr's Into Dust.   
  
To H7 - *laughs nervously* um, yes, actually that was a typo, but it's been fixed now. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I'm really glad you like it so far. =)  
  
  
Chapter Two - - Eyes and Arms   
  
  
Farore descended. Yes, her coming was more noticeable than that of Nayru, yet the said goddess's interest in her hero had prompted her to come from the heavens at last. The others were off in their own places now and she could descend without their questions. Not that they would ever really ask why she was looking into her own interests. They had their own respective charges, though of the three, she was very glad to have received the young boy. The black king suited Din somehow, since they both valued the same things, but if Din had permitted it, she would have called her winds forth and rid the world of him. Nayru wouldn't allow such a thing either - since her interests lie in relieving pain, it was no surprise that she certainly wouldn't allow Din or Farore herself to inflict it upon anyone.   
  
Farore scanned the surface of their earth before she settled down entirely. Unlike Nayru, she disliked coming quietly. It was too much like hiding, and that was a thing she would never consent to do. Often she reflected on how fortunate she was to be endowed with courage. She always felt Nayru and Din must be envious of her, if they could ever really feel envy.  
  
The winds of their world rushed to greet her. Another time, perhaps, she would have permitted them to. They were hers and loved her above the others, just as the growing things cherished Nayru and the fires on which the world was built longed for Din. This time, however, it was necessary for her to escape the view of the hero. All of the winds that had ever been created rushing to her side would cause more than a small disturbance, and he didn't need to know of her coming this time. She only wanted to observe, as Nayru had done.   
  
It was fortunate, then, that the lad who bore such courage rode through the desert at that time. With the winds scouring the sky, she could blend easily without any sort of risk. Lower she came, riding her currents until she hovered just above the pale blue faerie sent to the boy by the more corporeal powers of the earth. Nayru's great tree had sent it to watch over and guide her hero, using the wisdom that Nayru alone possessed in greatest quantity.   
  
She could never be jealous of what Nayru had done for the hero, even when the goddess of wisdom had come to observe without asking Farore's permission. And again, jealousy wasn't something that she could normally feel. It may not have been proper, but then she herself had watched Nayru's golden princess from a distance on more than one occasion. The girl held within her more than a little courage, and that was always of interest to her. Even now, the girl grasped enough to help her hold up a very dangerous masquerade, aiding the hero and eluding capture for much longer than any of the other sages had been able to. Thinking of the girl, Farore decided she may pay her a small visit before she concluded her business here, though it would be in the same manner as her visit to the hero - only to observe, never to directly interfere.  
  
Stretching her arms out ever so gently, ever so delicately, she embraced her hero with the roaring of the winds and the hiss of the sand. She stayed with him, clung to him as he ran on, apparently completely unaware of her presence and her favor of him. She sighed, but stayed near him. It was better that he remain naively heedless of her, rather than be so taken aback by her that he lost his nerve. Not that he would, necessarily. He already must have known he held some sort of favor from the goddesses, since he held the green and red crystals of her own wind and Din's raging fire. Soon Nayru's love would be in his hands, and not just anyone could wield such impressive magics.  
  
If Farore had wanted, she could have looked into the future of this young boy she treasured and see exactly what might become of him. It was her right as his guardian and certainly not above her power. Din often gazed into the future of the black king, though Nayru never found any need to do so with her young princess. Deciding against it, Farore simply clung to him, delighting in the feel of her young mortal. Farore preferred to look into the past when she could, since it was often fascinating to see how these corporeal beings were shaped by the weight of the days. Her child was certainly no exception, though a great deal of his own past was unknown to him. When night fell and he crouched in the shadow of a large stone watch tower half-hidden in the shifting sands, she stayed with him.  
  
Nayru must have been right after all. The fact that the boy's overwhelming exhaustion had escaped Farore's glance was a bit of an embarrassment to her, but one that was easily remedied. Besides, his journey now to the colossus in the desert may be a difficult one, but it would not be long before a conclusion would take place. In a matter of days, the three of them would know which of their champions, if any, would hold the golden power and bind the fortunes of all three goddesses to them. Din already knew, but that was Din's business and not her own.  
  
When the boy slept at last, Farore twined down around him like a rouge breeze. Pulling him close again, she ran her intangible fingers across his red tunic before craning his head back just slightly. The red cloth was designed to resist heat, but it didn't keep him from sweating heavily and dampening both his chest and back in the overwhelming waste of the desert. Smiling softly to herself, she closed the last distance left between them. Her kiss was deep, but not passionate or lustful. After all, no matter of fondness would change the fact that he was a mortal and she a goddess. It would be a pity to lose him, but if that did come to pass she would find another who suited her just as well.  
  
With that, she departed his company. She had accomplished exactly what she had set out to accomplish. She was pleased with him.   
  
  
Ollen70: I haven't really decided if I want to do another chapter from Din's perspective or not. Let me know what you think about the idea, okay? I really appreciate reviews.


	3. The Chains that Bind Us

Ollen70: I haven't really decided if I want to do another chapter from Din's perspective or not. Let me know what you think about the idea, okay? I really appreciate reviews.  
  
Disclaimer: Yeah, none of these characters belong to me. If they did, I'd have more money for med school and more free time.  
  
Chapter Three - - The Chains that Bind us.  
  
Din's descent was much more calculated than that of either Nayru or Farore. It was not in her nature to do anything in a manner that might be described as inconspicuous,' but after all it was not for nothing that she was often called the goddess of Power. Because of that fact, it was more difficult for her to facilitate an arrival on the surface of their world without alarming a great many of the inhabitants, and while the three of them might interfere a bit more quietly in the lives of one or two of the mortals they felt were dear to them, it had been agreed upon when they left the world and created the golden power that they would not do anything to directly alter the eventual course of their world.  
  
Waiting until the right moment, when the sun was just beginning to break across the mountains and force away the darkness of night, Din fell. Any who might have been awake at that moment would later swear they'd seen a great fiery creature tumbling like a meteor into the crater of the great volcano in Hyrule, plummeting downward and vanishing within it's depth. What they saw was of little consequence; Din had come, and she was more than a little proud of her mode of arrival.  
  
Traveling to any part of the world now was a very simple matter. She merely stayed submerged in the glorious heat of the melting rock and flowed along without incident, all the while searching for the one she'd come to observe. In a far corner of the land she found him and turned within the blazing essence all around her. He was sleeping quietly through the night in a stone room afforded him by the red-haired people known as the Gerudo. Discovering this, Din smiled faintly to herself. Her charge was a Gerudo, but he was in every way different from the almost exclusively female thieves that inhabited the desert.   
  
Her black king was a paradox indeed. She tended to spend most of her time watching him and gazing into his future, saddened to a small degree by what she saw. Sadness in the mortal sense wasn't exactly something she could feel. The king held power, which was of great interest to her, but unlike the others, she was not totally bound to her one quality in quite the same way they were. There were other things that could appeal to her, and anything that involved power - including the loss of it - was intriguing.  
  
Nayru, valuing wisdom, had little use for those who did not strive for knowledge. Farore had no business with those who could not hold or understand at least some degree of courage. She, on the other hand, found all aspects of power to be totally enrapturing. Even powerlessness. In this way, she found her interests often shifting. Farore's charge, to whom both Farore and Nayru had recently visited, best fit the description of powerless' when compared to her king. Now, hovering above the sleeping boy, she marveled at how utterly vulnerable he was to her. Any who came by would have more power than he, to harm or rend him. And though she herself could exert power over him if she truly wished to, that thought did not linger in her mind for long.   
  
Only Din's interests were fleeting. Wisdom and courage, once gained, were difficult to lose unless their holder used them so infrequently that they forgot how. The very nature of power was transient. One could be infinitely powerful for one moment and then horribly weak the next with no warning and no pity. Her king had great power now - more than any other living creature, in fact - but his days were waning. For all his strength he could never build, only destroy. Even though she already knew the outcome of this worldly struggle, it wasn't difficult for one without her foresight to guess at what might be. The black king would eventually lose power entirely, because he would either destroy all that was living and find himself with dominion over nothing, or he would be thrown down by the rising force of the world itself. After all, destruction and death were an end, not a means.  
  
Din found it a little sad that the one she loved had chosen such a path, though her sadness was unlike the sadness of mortals and carried little with it. She'd hoped that he might use his power with a bit more wisdom and so last longer. When he fell, she would find herself another. She knew that he would; she had watched his eventual failure before. Nayru was interested in things as they were. Farore enjoyed looking into the things that had been. Din concerned herself in things as they would be, no matter what that might entail.  
  
Some days she wondered if Nayru's calm demeanor might be solely attributed to the fact that she favored the present. The past and the future could be troubling, given their unalterable nature. The present as well was as unalterable as it was brief, but because of this it seemed full of possibility. It carried only the emotion of the moment, which was always bound to chance. It was well known to her that each of them held within themselves traits that were stationary along with traits that were not. Each were the same and yet also different, mirroring each other but always showing a different reflection. Looking again at the boy, Din marveled.   
  
He was a precious child, much more appealing to the eye than her king, and in many ways almost as beautiful as Nayru's princess. It was a different kind of beauty, but then beauty in general rarely involved her. It was infrequent for overly powerful things to have beauty. She would not harm him, as much as a threat as he presented to her king, not simply because he was beautiful. Farore and Nayru had not destroyed her king and she owed them the courtesy to watch over their charges with equal consideration.  
  
The flicker of the oil-standard lantern appealed to her. More than anything else in this barren room, it presented her with a way of incorporating herself into the surroundings without compromising her customary brilliance. Taking her place in the heart of the flame, she felt it change from orange to a blood-red. From here she could peer out at the young boy comfortably. Growing accustomed to the gloom, she watched him as he slept, his tunic off and rolled up under his head to serve as a pillow of sorts. The Gerudo might have made him an honorary member after he infiltrated their fortress (she had enjoyed watching that particular exchange) but they still mistrusted men in general and did not afford him any luxury in his accommodations.  
  
She noticed in the lambent beams of her own luminescence that the drawn lines in his flesh were more than mere shadows. Some of this knowledge came from her bond with Nayru and Farore, but the scars on this boy's body wouldn't have escaped her attention. It was good that he slept. Farore might hide in the winds and Nayru could take refuge in the living veins of the earth, but the fire and the rock belonged to Din. And those two mediums, as well as her preference for appearing in a manner that was fitting with her favorite attribute, it was not surprising that her arrival to any mortal could be...unsettling, to say the least.  
  
This man wasn't really a man at all. He could have seen no more than eighteen years of this world, and that endearing youth made him vulnerable. Her hand removed his cap and found the tousled burned-gold hair beneath it. With her other, she very gently stroked the lines of his face. She could understand why Farore had such pride in him, and took a more active role in this particular mortal's existence than she had in any since the building of their earth. He had awakened the sages alone. In days he would face her king at last.  
  
Giving the hero a small embrace, she returned into the warmth of the earth and drifted away again, preparing to flow toward the pooling fire under the citadel of her king. While she was on this world, she might as well look at him closely again while she could. The boy would come and the first of the king's many defeats would come to pass.  
  
  
  
  
Ollen70: Wow. This chapter was so much harder to write than the first two. I apologize if it's really bad. Since I don't have a beta reader for this, it's entirely possible that I babble and repeat myself a whole bunch. If you spot any horrible errors, please let me know and I'll fix them. Right now I'm too tired to proof-read.  
  
This probably isn't the end yet. I'm considering doing a few more chapters, but if you have any ideas on what you think they should be about, feel free to throw them in my direction. I really appreciate input, and I want to say thank you to H7, Anna-Elena, and 1. You guys are great. =)


	4. As the Dawn Breaks Free

Disclaimer: Nope, none of it's mine. Too bad, huh?  
  
Chapter Four - - As the Dawn Breaks Free  
  
The end was coming. At least, the first ending. Nayru wasn't particularly concerned with any of that, as Din might be, but it did prove to be an interesting thing to watch. Life was gaining power, throwing back the sickness of death that so totally surrounded everything in the northern reaches of this nation.   
  
Nayru wished idly that her princess had found somewhere else to hide. There was no life at all in the burned out ruins of the castle village, and this run down temple was definitely no exception. Nayru felt stretched, unable to situate herself within the boundaries of any of the life that she could normally find in abundance, so she contented herself by shrouding the girl before her in her power and laying up against her like a cloak against all such lifelessness.  
  
Her princess was swathed in cloth, disguising her identity to those who might do her harm, but it was astonishing to the goddess of wisdom and a little sad that others could not feel the kindness and warmth that could never be wholly contained by any sort of clothing.No one could say that the choice to go into hiding was not a very brilliant one. This girl had eluded capture for far longer than any of the other chosen sages, which was something even Farore found interest in.  
  
The powers of the black king felt very strong here, for the time being. Nayru was not worried for her girl, however furious the storms of his strength might become. The third one was nearly here, and when he came, the earth would be shaken down to its foundations. A new order would come at last, wiping away the remnants of the king and unloosing the next reality that would be. These were indeed exciting times. It was always endearing to Nayru to be able to watch what these precious mortals decided to make of themselves, as well as what they strove to make the world into.  
  
On a whim, she allowed herself a small glance into the mind of her charge. What would she make of this world, if the entirety of the golden power came to her and not to the hero? She held much wisdom, naturally, but that could oft-times lead to arrogance. Thus far, the girl had watched the world she knew and loved crumble for seven years. As Nayru moved deeper, she experienced the agony that she had known was there, laced with the first traces of something else.   
  
A solitary image ran through the girl's mind - it was of a young man in a green tunic with a fairy at his side, accompanied by a soft melody played on a harp. Nayru recognized this exchange well, as it was the very first time the girl had come in contact with Farore's champion. In her disguise, the girl had given him as much of her wisdom as she could, hoping against hope that he would be the one to end the horrors that played out all around her. The black king had taken so much away from her, and yet she had remarkably persevered. It was understandable, then, that Farore enjoyed looking in on the girl as much as Nayru appreciated watching moments of the life of the young hero.   
  
The fates of these three were indelibly bound into a triangle. Love begetting fear, begetting loss begetting love, a never-ending cycle that would continue to embrace them all until the end of things. It was very understandably fitting that these three should so share their reality as did the goddesses who looked down upon them.  
  
The princess stood motionless in her guise amidst the chill of the temple, waiting. Nayru, invisible to her, embraced her and took comfort in the feeling of her life in the surrounding of the bleak apse. Even the white and black tiles on the floor were forbidding in their coldness, but Nayru could appreciate that all things must begin and end in the cold. Nayru, who built the life in the world out of eternity's ice, could equally accept that the next morning might take from her the company of the princess. It was very possible that she would find herself tied to another, and it was equally likely that in the end Din and Farore would find themselves bonded to the girl. Of course, all of this was pointless speculation. If she wished to know for sure, she could always consult Din or look into the future herself, but to her it felt more honest to let the world turn in its own time.   
  
From the windows in the upper reaches of the temple, just below the first of the deep vaults in the ceiling, came the filtering rays of a forgotten sun. Dawn, whether anyone had remembered or waited for it, was coming. Whatever happened after that, would be.   
  
Ollen70: Aah! Another very uncooperative chapter. I'm sorry that it's so short, but at least I kind of have a direction now, so these next few parts should be posted relatively quickly. Thanks again to my reviewers, and I really appreciate any comments or suggestions you might have for future chapters.


	5. Our Destiny

Ollen70: I'm really unhappy this chapter. It isn't that it's particularly bad or anything (though it might be...) but it isn't at all what I was planning for it to be. This whole story might be in for a major re-write when I get done, but I'm not sure at this point. Let me know what you think, okay?  
  
Disclaimer: Nope. Still not mine. Darn.   
  
Chapter Five - - Our Destiny  
  
  
Farore departed, happy to leave the surface and return to the kind of existence she was used to. There was no need for her to disguise herself any longer, since no mortal would see her now that she was beyond their reach and comprehension. It was better in this realm, though she was glad to have been able to watch the goings-on between the three mortals from a closer point of view.   
  
Farore could be content now, not having to worry about her champion for the time being. His past had made him more than strong enough to put down Din's king this time around. She did not doubt that they would meet each other again at some point, but that would come when it came.   
  
Farore did not feel the need to disguise from the other two the overwhelming pride bursting inside of her at the actions of the young man that had taken place. He had used courage that even she had not immediately seen in him when faced by the other form of the black king, after the fall of the fortress. Not that the first battle hadn't drawn out of him a very large amount of bravery, since there were not many mortals who would have dared face the king, especially when he'd taken it upon himself to hurtle bolts of power like falling stars and unleash his magical might before the hero's arrows of light had felled him, reducing an entire chamber to dust.   
  
Dust... it was true that Nayru had brought life from the dust and at the end of life, living things returned to it, turned to ash by Din's fires and scattered to the edges of the world by Farore's winds. They were all so fragile, so infinitely breakable, each part of them likely to fall apart at any moment and be beyond repair. None of them had planned for it to be so easy for these poor creatures to break away like snowflakes on the dawn, and the thought made her sad. The true courage to face life was all too rare in mankind. She wished it were possible to give them more, but then they would be something else, and not what they were intended to be.   
  
It must have been Din's influence that brought her to this line of thought. Din often pondered this type of thing, usually focusing on how powerless many mortals were, but she had more trouble reaching a general conclusion that Farore did. This world was what was real. There was absolutely no sense in pondering it too deeply - though sense, in general, tended to be more in Nayru's domain - since their decisions on the matter wouldn't change. Matters here were far too interesting on their own for them to be changed already. Eventually if they found absolutely nothing on the surface to their liking they might deign to start anew, but as long as they had particular mortals to occupy their time, that would not happen.  
  
The second battle her hero had fought was even more inspiring than the first. It didn't appear that at first the young man had a chance against the king, who was using his knowledge of the triforce of power fully to his advantage. The boy had only just learned from the princess that he had any sort of tie to the golden power at all, so it's strength was still very mysterious and difficult enough for him to fathom that it could be of no practical use against the king.   
  
It was the princess that had actually surprised them all the most. Without her guidance, it would have been very possible for the hero to perish when the king fell the first time, and bent his will on causing the fortress to fall. She was showing her courage, just as the hero showed his wisdom in the final battle with the now-grotesque creature that had been the black king.   
  
It was love and determination that had kept the king at bay, both the love of the small faerie that was the companion of her hero and the love of the boy for the world he remembered in his childhood, the world that had once been pure but now was stained. Anger, fear, hatred, hope, long suffering, pain... Yes, that was the emotion most common in the three of them during this last battle, so sharp that all three goddesses felt it as if it were they that struggled, not mere mortals. And that was not a pleasing experience for any of them.   
  
But now that time was past. There would be peace over the earth, sadly temporary as it might be - but peace could be as trying as war, in many regards. Farore herself found little that was interesting when long periods of peace visited the earth. Courage was not necessary when all were content and none had reason to push themselves to be brave. One way or another, no matter how she felt about it, peace would come to the earth. If the king ever escaped again, he would bring his own kind of peace, but it would be the mute slavery of death rather than the peace of promise and light. And that peace, if it were ever achieved, would be eternal. The king would destroy everything else or so bend it to his will that it had no thoughts apart from him, and therefore could exhibit neither courage nor strength. In that respect, the current affairs of the world were preferable to her.   
  
  
In an interesting way, she thought privately, humanity showed courage even in the smaller facets of their lives. In waking each morning, mortals faced risks of sorts. They never knew what would be from moment to moment, like Din did, nor were they as skilled at seeing all parts of the present or the past, as she and Nayru could. They had to do their best to exist in all three, never accomplishing even one of those goals. It was not nearly as intriguing as the courage of her hero, but it would certainly suffice until the day came when his extraordinary attributes would be called for once again. Settling herself down among the lights of the heavens, she continued to gaze into the fragile blue orb in the distance. It may be awhile before she was drawn there again, but it was alright. There was still plenty to see.   
  
  
Ollen70: There's at least one more chapter coming. Thanks for reading so far, and as always, suggestions or comments are very welcome. =)  



	6. Never Leave Me

Ollen70: This was up much faster than I'd expected it to be. I'm kind of going into a writing free-for-all before classes start up again in a few days. So if I've managed to overlook anything in my posting frenzy (grammar, spelling, plot...) just let me know, okay?   
  
Yeah, so I borrowed the title of this chapter from another story I've been working on, but it just fits so well. I'll be more original next time, I promise.  
  
Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. Oh well.   
  
Chapter Six - - Never Leave Me  
  
  
The first ending had indeed come, with every catharsis that Din could have presupposed. It was not a clean ending by any stretch of the mind, given that there would have to be other confrontations before her fallen champion would be stricken forever, but he had lost this battle and that would prove to be an unpleasant trend. Nevertheless, it made things easier for her, in a way.   
  
The king was alone, surrounded by the broken forms of his once-vicious monsters in the ruins of what had been the golden land, trapped within magical bonds that even the strength of the triforce of power could not break. She could come to him without worry, for there was nothing else in the barren waste to see her. The other two had come together, as had been expected, and sealed away the third with their own considerable strength. Now, the king of power was weak, without ally or identity, left to fade away like a nightmare until he finally found the means of manifesting himself again.   
  
Sooner or later that day would come - Din had seen it. And when it did, little would change in the actions or the fates of the three, because the principles of the situation would be the same. One cannot triumph over two, when the two are stronger in concert that the one. The black king had not learned this. Din almost wanted to weep at the sight of him now, so removed from every attribute that she valued, but he was still hers and she would watch him until he was forever gone. That was all that she could do for him.  
  
How sad, that these three could not be united the way the three goddesses were. Din often wondered at how different their world would be if a person of a more balanced nature had gripped the triforce before the king. She supposed she could look into that eventuality if she really felt like it, but it wouldn't change anything. The truth was here before her, here in the broken halls of a skeletal tower in a dead world that few would ever remember. Her king, the one she loved and cared for most of all, was doomed to the most horrible fate that a mortal can face. Not only would he eventually die, it was his fate to be forgotten as well, and hated desperately if he was remembered at all.  
  
If only Nayru could have given unto the king more of her attribute. Wisdom would have given him something more than this. If he'd wielded it along with his power, maybe his fate would have been very different. Again, this was pointless speculation, so she didn't bother dwelling on it for long. Her king would fall, but he would not always be powerless before that fall came. The very last confrontation would be just as heartbreaking for all three as the first had been, because when it came right down to it, those three mortals only had each other. Even once the king was gone, the hero would search for him, unwilling -or unable - to believe he'd truly been destroyed. Those three lives needed each other, as much any of them hated to admit it.   
  
The princess and the hero could cope with their dependency on one another, except that they were from different worlds and existing together would be more difficult than either of them might initially assume. Neither cared to admit that the only other person who understood the burden of the triforce was the banished king, just as he would never admit that in all of their warring, the only two that could come closest to ever understanding him or his motives were the two he was determined to kill.   
  
All that motivated him was power. That's why he was enthralling, and it was also why he was flawed. Nayru, Farore, and Din were individuals in their traits but they were also one. Trinity, unity through individuality... the king could not be wholly separate, or he would fall. He did not let the other traits pass into him from time to time, as the goddesses did, and as the other two mortals did. He was the embodiment of one idea, and that was all that drove him.   
  
Looking around, Din's eyes left the shattered form of her king and caught for a moment on a soft tendril of brown-green, wrapped around the column stones of the window ledge. She knew from the red berries and tiny blue flowers that it was a deadly poisonous plant, sinister yet enticing, but even it's treacherous beauty was a very welcome sight in her eyes. There was little here that held any beauty at all.  
  
It was a shame that the beauty of the golden land they had created would rot away as the king's fury poisoned it, but then that was fate as well. All these things would come to pass because they had to, as unfortunate as that may be. None of the three would deviate from the plans they had laid upon the forming of their world. They did not interfere because if they did, everything that happened would be predictable. They would never know what kind of heights their creations could reach on their own if the goddesses continually shaped their reality for them.   
  
They loved and cared for each of the lives that blossomed on the surface of the earth (Nayru was not alone in her appreciation of life) but it would be uninteresting for all of them if the lives that they saw were only shallow imitations, things they could predict without effort. Mortals were irrational and fragile by their very nature, and that was one of the many things that made them so very beautiful. Creatures of chaos that could still achieve some tincture of the wisdom Nayru held, some small touch of the courage Farore was made of, some fragmented understanding of the power that flowed through Din herself...  
  
These creatures were made of potential, plain and simple, and her king would have bent them all to his control. He would have made them uninteresting pawns in his bid to forever gain more power, and she at least could have appreciated his endeavors, but it would be a shame to lose all other sorts of beauty. The others would be distressed, understandably enough, so in many ways it was best that the fate of this breaking man had to be so cold. He could never learn - that was not his purpose.   
  
Others would learn from him. The darkness he held would vanish in time, but until that day came, she would stay with him as she had promised. Once more she realized that after all of his faults were laid clear, he was hers and she loved him.  
  
  
  
Ollen70: I'm on a roll. This wasn't what I was really expecting it to be either, but I sort of like it. Now that I've gotten to what was supposed to be the end again, I'm not really sure that I want to end it yet... =) If I do any more, it'll probably be about A Link to the Past, so just bear with me and there might be more chapters coming sooner or later.   



	7. The Price of Solitude

Disclaimer: I still don't own the Legend of Zelda. I'd think of something acerbic or witty to add to this disclaimer, but it's been a long week.  
  
Chapter Seven - - The Price of Solitude   
  
  
Nayru didn't bother to descend. It was much easier to watch the developments on the surface of their world from her vantage point in the heavens, and at this point, with so much happening at once, it was certainly easier to ignore specific details than to become totally involved in only one scenario of this epic conflict.  
  
The battle was one of incredible magnitude, leaving no part of the nations on their world untouched. The three had become engaged and the full force of the triforce had once again been united, and even if that unity was wielded with the intent to cause pain rather than build life, the force that followed their union had been elating.   
  
It had left her with a sense of hope that was not altogether understandable to her - true, the black king had been sealed away, but that meant little. He would break free, or else the hero would come to him in time and they would struggle anew, until only one of them still lived. And the hatred of the king was not at all reserved for the hero. He would do everything in his power to strike at Nayru's princess or her descendants in any way he could.   
  
There were still so many rules that the king didn't understand; it was for that reason that he'd dare make move against both of the other holders of the triforce when they were so near one another, when it was so possible for them to draw strength from the links that existed between their souls. If the king had tried, he might have realized that he and the other two were linked as well. He could have used wisdom of the other two to his advantage, but his interest was with power rather than foresight.   
  
  
On a whim, Nayru turned and drew close to the earth. Her eyes were not on her princess, or even the hero this time. Her desire for wisdom and clarity would draw her to the one that she understood the least, as much as she hated to approach him. He was altogether foreign, having no place within him for wisdom or love, but she needed to decipher him. He was a mystery that she was bound to solve - it seemed that, in the pursuit of knowledge, she would find him interesting after all.  
  
There was no noticeable response from the earth as she approached it. She could not feel life, and it made no attempt to draw near to her. This wasn't the world she was used to. It pained her to think that this place, fractured and broken with hatred and fear, had once been the miraculous golden land that so many longed to see. All the life that still remained was so weakened that it could barely acknowledge her as its progenitor and its keeper, as the benevolent creator whose thoughts had given it freedom.  
  
But then, the life here no longer had freedom. It was bound tightly by the will of one who was also bound, kept away from the world by the powers of light that still protected the innocent. For a time, the black king could be contained.  
  
The parched earth followed her as she drew close to its surface, lingering in small clouds and dispersing only when she drew away from it, loathe to disturb or humiliate it any more than it already had been. This was not the world that she and the others had built. It was the creation of a warped mind, generated by an ill wish and poisoned by the darkness that still poured from the tower high above on the summit of the great mountain nearby.  
  
The king's imprisonment had been a remarkable thing to behold. Even hating pain as she did, it was rewarding for Nayru to watch the absolute quality of her princess and Farore's hero grow and spread like the boughs of a lowering tree under the bright promise of spring. They had stood before the king, both of them uncertain and afraid, but in the end, fear belonged only to the king. It was he who had fallen, he who was taken away from the world and the thoughts and the minds of its inhabitants.  
  
Nayru swept up the side of the decaying tower on the mount's peak, caring little for it. She had to know; that was the only reason she'd come. The motives of this creature who was both terrible and pitiable in her mind was easily as intriguing as the hero had been before when she'd come across him, bleeding and exhausted in the still of the morning.  
  
It never ceased to amaze her how much peace could actually be found in all corners of the universe, if one stopped looking for it long enough to realize that it was already there. This moment, in the breaking lands so far removed from any goodness or kind hope, held peace. The decimated fortress after the king's defeat, its foundations cracked and proud turrets ruined, had been peaceful. The copse in the forest, with the deep pool beneath reddened with the hero's blood, had been peaceful.  
  
Quietly, she entered the highest level of the stark tower. There was a convoluted reverence here that she did not wish to disturb, though it was much more difficult for her to appreciate it than she would have believed. A dirty light filtered from the broken windows that she'd entered through, illuminating the tiles on the floor in a way that made them look burned. In their midst lay the worn figure of a man.  
  
Another illusory peace held this room jealously, and if not for the hate that Nayru could feel everywhere around her, she would have been deceived by it. Hate and love were not opposites; it was something few knew. Hate was increased by anger, tempered by time, and birthed by fear. Fear was her enemy, her one greatest adversary that always stood inscrutably in the way of love. If anything could have turned her away now that she was so close to obtaining the knowledge she sought, it would have been the festering, oppressive aroma of fear that was even thicker here than the hate.  
  
The black king, with all his power, was blinded by fear. In spite of all the strength he'd gained, his worst fears had still come to pass. He knew that he could still lose everything he'd fought for, and that his glorious empire of power was coming undone. Nothing could stop his fall; even she could do nothing for his pain. This pain was the sort that had spawned the first battle with the hero, the first loss, and the entrapment he now suffered in the confines of a dying earth.  
  
The king was starting to understand now what the goddesses had known and expressed all along. In this world where nothing was free, he had absolute power. In a land filled with death, life was power. But against loneliness and fear, he was nothing. In the midst of power, he could be powerless. It was heartbreaking for   
  
Nayru to watch him understand this at last and knew that the wisdom would do him no good. He had gained it too late, and held not enough of it to prosper from it in any way than to let it fuel his already raging bitterness. Her attribute, or Din's, or Farore's, could not save him. Eventually he would be overcome, destroyed by the very things that he had sought to gain, and she thought that very sad.   
  
Sadness could be beautiful, in the right context, but she found that there was little of it in this latest revelation. Looking down at his still form, she felt another surge of pity. Her touch would bring him nothing, so she did not offer it. Instead she stretched forward, leaving the sorrow of the once-golden land in her wake. That pain would end soon enough.   
  
  
Ollen70: Yeah, Nayru kind of reiterates some of the things that Din considers in the last chapter, but I hope that the perspective is different enough for it to still be interesting. Classes for me have been amazingly stressful lately, so I really can't say when the next chapter will be up, but I hope it's soon. Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers, who give my life purpose. =)  



	8. Illusory Dawn

Ollen70: This chapter's short, but the next one ought to make up for it. Thanks to my reviewers, and to H7 and Rai Dorian specifically for taking the time to critique every chapter thus far. I can't even explain how much it helps to get feedback.  
  
Disclaimer: If I didn't own it before, I don't own it now.  
  
Chapter Eight - - Illusory Dawn  
  
  
The chill wind that swept the desolate tower wrapped about Farore closely. This world, as burned and forgotten as it was, didn't sadden her in the way it did Nayru. The wind existed here, laden more with ash and loss as it might be. As long as her tie to the worlds remained in the same general form, she didn't feel so alone.  
  
There was little in this place to keep her interest, now that she had come, but it was important to her to be near when the next of the great conflicts took place. There was a chance that this encounter would be the last between her hero and the king, though she doubted if the king's connection with the triforce, and in turn the respective mortals of Nayru and Farore, would ever truly be severed. If the triforce of power was not given easily, it was certainly not taken easily. The king had managed to defy death once. It was possible, however unlikely, that he could do it again once the battle with the hero had reached its zenith.   
  
Noticing the broken form of the king as he begin to stir, Farore shifted her attention to him more directly. The blood of the seven wise ones who had initially trapped the king between worlds had been brought together again - first by a wizard, and now once again by her hero. When it happened the second time, the barrier around the fortress of the black king, as well as the bonds that kept him in check, had been broken. He would rise again for a short time, doing everything that he could to wreak even more havoc on the state of things.   
  
Looking out over the dead land, Farore shook her head sadly. There was nothing left here for him to corrupt - his wish immediately twisted all who entered this place, turning them into pathetic mockeries of what they once were, and the death and horror only increased his strength. She understood the desperation of the mortals who strove against him, as well as the overpowering sense of fear he could elicit from almost anyone who was forced to face him.  
  
Nayru could feel compassion for this man, Din could bemoan the fate that waited for him, but Farore hated him. Even with the courage that had driven him to seek the triforce, he was nothing to her but a blight. She could borrow her hatred from her hero and not feel even the slightest twinge of regret in doing so. It was very obvious, as had been from the start, that the King wanted nothing more than to kill her hero. If she tolerated that desire, the bond she shared with the young man would mean less than nothing.   
  
True, none of the three would interfere directly, but there were other ways of lending support than by intruding into an affair. The hero would feel her close by and gain strength from her, whether he was cognizant of the exchange or not. It was a telling sign of things to come when Farore noticed that Din had not bothered to do the same for the king. Either the boy would lose anyway and there was no need for her to come, or the king was to be damned and there was nothing to be gained by her nearness.   
  
Whatever the case, Farore felt a little sad for the goddess of power - at least, as much as she could truly feel sad for anyone. Din's lot was certainly unenviable, if the hero and the princess were what they were expected to be. She wasn't startled that Din had chosen not to come - or at least not to come in a recognizable form. There was a peculiar feeling in the air that told Farore that Din wasn't so very far away. She was glad. If it had been her in Din's position, the fate of her mortal whether she knew it prematurely or not, wouldn't deter her from being close by. At any rate, it wasn't her situation and she was glad of that as well. She didn't always understand the choices Din made, but that was because their interests were not the same.  
  
She left off her musings when the figure before her rose entirely, suddenly thrusting out his hands. The power of their triforce flowed through him, altering his figure into one of a thinner man, robed in greens and grays and adorned with an odd headpiece. It was the form of a wizard, obviously, and it was a cunning guise at that. With this counterpart at his disposal, the king had been able to deceive the Lord of Hyrule and break the seal between the earth and this darker world.  
  
Causality, however, would not be so easily overwhelmed. By breaking the seal, the king had made it possible for the hero to enter this world in the first place. As if in concert with her thought, the door of the tower opened and there stood the boy, his sword drawn and flashing in the sickly light.   
  
So, young Link, we meet again. But this day, there will be a fitting conclusion for you. The king lowered in the direction of the hero, who gripped his blade all the more tightly. Upon your death in this tower, the seal between our worlds will open completely, and that is a day that has been far too long denied me. Prepare yourself, if you're ready for the void!  
  
The battle was truly magnificent. In spite of all the wizard's deceptions, the hero would not be swayed. Bolts of power arched across the confines of the room like so many leaves in the wind. In all the wonderful displays of power and courage, Farore found her attention catching on a small candle, flickering pointedly in a holder on the opposite wall. It was unremarkable, save for the swellings of emotion that rose from it when the wizard was driven back.   
  
Sweeping downward, the bright blade cut deep into the wizard's flesh, but there was no outpouring of blood. The wizard blurred, becoming once again the more familiar likeness of the black king. He fled and her hero pursued, but Farore did not. There would be time enough for that in the moments to come.   
  
For now, she remained as a thread of wind in the broken panes of the window, watching with some satisfaction the candle across from her. It's flame was gone - the end was coming.  
  
  
  
Ollen70: I'm so sorry it's taken a month for me to get this posted. Motivation has been a little hard to come by, but now that I know where I'm going with the last 2 chapters, it shouldn't take me very long to finish.   
  
  



	9. Blood of the stones

  
Ollen70: I'm so sorry it's taken a month for me to get this posted. Motivation has been a little hard to come by, but now that I know where I'm going with the last 2 chapters, it shouldn't take me very long to finish.   
  
Disclaimer: The premise of the Legend of Zelda belongs to the nintendo corporation. I mean no disrespect by writing this. No money is being made. Blah blah blah. Me me blah. Blah blah blah blah me me me. And that last part probably won't be funny if you haven't seen Finding Nemo.' Which also doesn't belong to me. *sigh*  
  
  
  
Chapter nine - - Blood of the stones  
  
  
The dim coolness of her surroundings surprised her, given the fire and the rage that stormed on just outside this place. It was far more quiet inside than she'd expected, but enough of the sounds of battle still filtered through for her to feel confident that she knew how those events were playing out. It was an odd twist of fate that had prompted her to come anyway, and one that she wasn't totally sure she could explain. How she'd ended up in this crystal cocoon, Din still wasn't certain.   
  
She could feel the young princess even over the battle between Farore's hero and her king. That, more than anything else, was what caught her attention. Her interest, after all, was not rooted in wisdom and therefore it made little sense that she could be more than vaguely aware of the girl at all. And yet, there was enough of a pull that she finally deserted her place in the torches of the pyramid and approached the cold glass that hung in a pouch at the hero's waist. The aura grew stronger the nearer she came, and she found herself wondering if the hero could feel it too. Maybe it had been that feeling that had guided him to her in the first place.   
  
Whatever it was, she would look into it later. For the moment, Din would be content just to watch the girl as she had the others before her, taking a moment to explore their quintessence as only their Trinity could.  
  
What it was that was different this time, she couldn't say. There was certainly something wrong - something very unfamiliar about the inside of the magical crystal, and though Din was very sure that the stone's occupant could neither see nor hear her, she was uneasy. Unease was a feeling that was as unfamiliar as it was unacceptable.   
  
The golden-haired girl, clad in white robes of royalty that were stained from the day she'd been dragged from her sanctuary to the alter of the black king's puppet, still held beauty that even this unreal cathedral and prison could not hope to match. The thousands of facets inside the stone reflected and magnified everything around her, a hall of mirrors where each reflection paid only tribute to the unfading beauty it caught. Odd, how beauty could be so deceptive.  
  
Din drew very close, moving to put her arms around the girl and understand her. She reached out, but the action never reacted fruition.   
  
Who is it? The girl turned at once, her eyes scanning all parts of her enclosure. Who's there?  
  
Din didn't answer. This had certainly never happened before, but she knew better than to be surprised. Drawing on the part of her that was shared with Nayru, she examined the girl again. Was it the face of wisdom that allowed the princess to sense Din's nearness? Be that as it may, there had to have been something else that had drawn Din in the first place - something not tied to learning or to life.   
  
I can hear you, but I don't know who you are or why you're here. The princess continued to speak with confidence, obviously unafraid. You aren't from him... She added, proving that she could indeed hear bits and pieces of Din's thoughts. If you were, you wouldn't stay hidden. He doesn't understand that kind of subtlety, and it would do him no good to send someone now. His time is over, and it has been quite some time since my powers were of any use to him.  
  
Not speaking in words, Din directed herself at the girl, allowing her to perceive Din's thoughts, and that her intentions, indeed, were not hostile.   
  
But I already knew that. The girl said, smiling slightly to no direction in particular. Din mused that, while the princess obviously knew someone was there, her senses were not yet sharp enough for her to pinpoint where' or what,' exactly.   
  
Nayru had come to the girl before and never experienced this sort of thing, though Din assumed that the very bleak crystal, with no other distractions or sensations, must have made it much easier for the princess to focus on Din's arrival, likely the only other disturbance she'd experienced since her imprisonment.   
  
Din would not enter the girl - that would be offensive to Nayru, especially after the respect the goddess of wisdom had paid her in not harming or altering the course of her king. But she was going to fringe on the edges of that unspoken agreement and look as closely as she possibly dared into this girl, peering into what it was that shaped her. It was more Farore's realm of interest, but it suited her purposes this once. With the three of their charges coming together so often as of late, it was no surprise that the concerns of the goddesses were intermingling as well.  
  
I don't understand what you want... The girl said, sounding apprehensive rather than afraid. Breaking her protocol, Din let herself speak,' or at least allowed the girl to understand her response in that manner.  
  
I only wish to understand you, dear child.'   
  
The girl's jaw dropped at once, betraying her earlier composure. She whirled around, searching all corners of her magnificent prison. Din let her flounder for a moment, proud of her when she regained herself and crouched down, arraying her skirts around her in a prim fashion.   
  
You haven't given me a reason to distrust you.  
  
It felt strange, receiving consent. Din had never asked for anything of this fashion before, since it was never necessary. She hadn't really been asking now, either. It was more or less understood, in her mind, that since she meant no harm, she would do as she saw fit. The opinions of mortals were generally unimportant. She found it oddly refreshing to know that this child didn't balk from her, in spite of her own fear. Indeed, she possessed more than a little of Farore's attribute.   
  
Din came closer, letting the here and now drain away and feeling the first wave of the girl's essence surround her. She could have done this from a distance, without going to so much trouble, but Din enjoyed being close to things when they happened, even when she knew already what the outcome would be.  
  
When the images first began to appear, Din had to stop herself from letting out the equivalent of a gasp. She had known that the actions of both the hero and the king had been effected by the princess to a degree, but before now, she hadn't realized just how great a degree it was.  
  
Behind every event that had taken place involving the triforces of power or courage, the princess had been involved in at least some very small way. The call to the hero had been her doing - his triumph in the first battle against the king - the liberation of the sages and the seven maidens. It was her wisdom as much as his own courage that had led to those outcomes. Though she seemed captive and unassuming, the princess had been woefully underestimated by her king.   
  
She watched the girl with a new respect while the visions of her prowess still danced behind the goddess's eyes. The princess didn't seek the triforces for their power. She didn't need them - she had power, in her own way, in simply accepting her fate and protecting the triforce of wisdom from those who would misuse it. Whatever happened in the ensuing battle - and here Din didn't need to assume, as the other goddesses did - the princess would not fall. Her strength had carried her this far, after all. Even encased in crystal, her abilities were not fully hindered.   
  
I've seen all that I need to see.' It was an impression she left the princess with, rather than an outright statement. She wasn't totally sure why she'd done it, since the girl could apparently sense her and would know when she was gone, but Din felt in some odd way that the girl was respectable enough to be informed.   
  
  
  
With that, Din departed from the crystal. There were other situations that required her immediate attention, and she was interested in observing the remarkable translation of power when it finally took place.   
  
Entering the stone room and taking her place among the flickering flames of the torches, she waited for the last arrow to fly. The end of the old order of things had come at last - a newer wordl was now waiting to be born.   
  
  
  
Ollen70: Choppy and messy, but I really wanted to get it posted because it's been so long since I've updated. There is one more chapter coming, and I already have most of it written, so it shouldn't take me too long to get it up. Thanks for reading. And I have to send out my customary thank-yous to H7 and Rai Dorian for reviewing so often. =)


	10. Finality

  
Ollen70: It's taken me way too long to get this up. Thanks go out again to Rai Dorian and H7, the greatest reviewers a writer could ever ask for.   
  
If anybody's interested, I posted another Legend of Zelda story some time ago called Mortal Men. I'd appreciate any feedback for it that you feel like giving.   
  
Disclaimer: If I didn't own it before, I don't own it now.  
  
Chapter Ten - - Finality  
  
Nayru was there - present in the pages of the book of Mudora and in the drops of blood shed from both the hero and the king, lingering still around the crystal that held her young princess.  
  
Farore was present in the singing of the master sword, forged so many centuries ago. She clung to the ancient metal, savoring what it symbolized to the world and what it meant to the young man that wielded both it and her in unison.  
  
Dinn was present in the flickering of the torches that illuminated the form of the treacherous king for the arrows of the hero's bow, in the power that leapt from the king's fingertips, from the fire that burned in both of them, now that each was driven by nothing more than to destroy the other and so claim his power for their own ends. The hero had pure ideals - the king did not, but it mattered little to her. Either way, the world was going to change. She already knew the outcome, so why focus to the inevitable?  
  
Courage, Power, Love. They stood in a perfect trinity, each complementing the other endlessly, never rivaling or hoping to outshine. The three mortals who bore the burdens of their particular virtues were all in one place once again. This had not happened since the first conflict of the three mortals, when the king was severed from the earth and this ghastly second world was built.   
  
Each second that passed felt the mounting tension that formed and flowed like a living thing, building and building and building until, after the quiet note from a plucked bowstring, all else was silent. The song sung by the single silver arrow was a fitting requiem, beautiful and pure, delivering death but taking no dignity from its target. It was not boastful or unkind, just as the hero who delivered it was also respectful as he knelt beside the body of the king, offering silence for his foe.   
  
In Dinn, a great fury and sorrow fell at that arrow stroke - so great that, for a moment, the others almost feared for the sake of their world. Her heartache was tangible, and the earth below them might have begun to respond to her cries, had it not been for the calling of a familiar thing in the back of their minds. In a moment, the flash of gold from within the king flickered and went out. His bond with the goddess of power was spent.   
  
The same golden light from the crystal in the hero's grasp was sundered, the forces of unity between the goddesses of love and power now broken. There was a sudden gathering of great light as the essence of the triforce, the mystical golden triangles, made itself known to all.   
  
Enter, thou. The power called quietly to the hero's heart. Enter, and claimeth for thine own that which thine hast ever sought... for thou hast stricken the ancient holder of this power... its secrets now passeth upon to thee. Wilt thou accept them? Wilt thou taketh this blessing and this doom into thine heart?  
  
The hero remained silent for a moment, unmoving under the eyes of all three goddesses. He opened his mouth slowly, cautiously testing the air around him without breaking his gaze away from the splendidly decadent adornments of the innermost room of the pyramid. The triforce rotated slowly on an ivory and marble pedestal, casting its rays of golden light amongst draperies the colors of blood, of water, of forest.  
  
I... I will accept this power and its burdens. The hero murmured. I will make right the things that Ganon ruined.  
  
This be a grand undertaking for thee, young hero. Dost thou know that what lies before thee? Mortals be doomed to liveth from one moment to the next, unknowing in the changing face of this earth. Wield this power well, and deliver unto a future of promise.  
  
A tremendously brilliant flash radiated from the triangle, and in an instant the hero's hand connected with it and the boundaries of reality began to fade.   
  
Hail, legendary hero... The essence called. One by one the goddesses added their own voices into the union of mortal and eternity. Hail, seeker of wisdom, harbinger of power, deliverer of courage... The hero's mind cried out under the onslaught of the voices, the pouring out of sensations ten thousand times greater than any mortal had ever felt before.   
  
Hail... Link.  
  
Ollen70: Well, that's that. Hope you enjoyed it. 


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